birding...

African Penguin Spheniscus demersus ©Trevor Hardaker http://www.hardaker.co.za

South Africa`s attraction as a birding destination par excellence has to be one of the world`s best kept secrets. Out of a total of more than 820 species (including some splits which are not yet universally recognised) 121 species are vagrants or accidentals, 40 species endemic to South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland and a further 110 species are endemic (or nearly so) to the southern African sub-continent, i.e. the area south of the Zambezi and Cunene Rivers. This makes South Africa one of the most desirable birding areas in Africa. Add to this a well-developed road system, an excellent network of internal airline routes and a plethora of car hire companies (including the large internationals) and this surely has to be one of the most desirable birding destinations in the world.

Unless you particularly want to have a long hike all the land-based birds in the country can be seen with nothing more than a relatively short and pleasant stroll from your car. A few require the use of a 4-wheel drive vehicle, but even these, with the exception of the endemic sub-species of Green Barbet, can, with a bit of extra work, be found using a normal car. The regular pelagic trips arranged from Cape Town and Durban take care of the rest of the region’s 700 or so regularly occurring species.

To this well-developed infrastructure add a 7-10 000 strong friendly and helpful birding fraternity and a host of well-qualified professional guides and one has to wonder why South Africa is not overrun by birders from all parts of the world.

Access
The vast majority of international birders fly into South Africa. The country has three international airports - Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. It is served with regular daily flights by most major airlines. The major domestic airports at Port Elizabeth, East London, George, Bloemfontein, Kimberley and Upington are all serviced by regular internal flights. It is also possible to reach the country via overland trips through Africa or via one of the many cruises that visit the country’s major ports - Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London and Durban.

Major Topographical Features
Simply put South Africa is comprised of a high lying plateau (known as the Highveld in South Africa) in the eastern interior largely 1,500m or more above sea level. This falls away in the west and north into a bowl-shaped feature known as the Kalahari Basin. These two features are rimmed by a mountainous escarpment - known as the Great Escarpment or simply the Escarpment - that varies in altitude from around 800m in the west to more than 3,000m in the Drakensberg range in the east. Finally there is a narrow coastal plain 50 to 200km wide and mostly below 500m in altitude.

Major Birding Regions
Bird-wise South Africa can be divided into seven major natural regions: Grassveld - almost treeless grassland; Fynbos (pronounced fain-bos) - a sort of Macchia or chaparral; Karoo - an arid to very arid semi-desert; Afromontane Forest - more or less evergreen with a closed canopy; Bushveld - a fairly arid to arid open to closed woodland often referred to in South Africa as Savannah; the East Coast Littoral - a moist tropical to sub-tropical mosaic of forest, coastal thicket and grassland; and Pelagic - open sea up to 200km off-shore. Each of these regions have their own suite of birds and the first four hold species that are endemic to their South African portions.

There are now pages for each South African State with links, Top Birding Spots, trip reports and all the usual links and facts... just click on the States on the map below.

This page brought to you in association with:
Birding Ecotours

Superb small group and tailor-made birding adventures that contribute to conservation and local communities. We employ expert local guides & ground operators or lead trips ourselves. In 2006, we are offering unforgettable African birding adventures to arguably the greatest birding destinations on earth, Kenya; endemic-rich Ethiopia; Namibia and South Africa. Contact us to arrange tailor-made birding in southern Africa from just a morning to over a month, including pelagics off Cape Town. We also deal with the other species rich area of the world – Latin America: let us know your birding needs from Wyoming to Peru. Click the logo & tour our website or email: info@birdingecotours.co.za